Reaching out, from the Newspapers, translated…
The seventy-four year-old, Grandma Chang, didn’t have any children, and, last year after her husband had died, she just, couldn’t walk out of the gloom, the Huashan Foundation accompanied her for a year’s time, then, she’d slowly, walked out of the loss. In order to encourage elderly who lived along to exercise their minds and bodies more, the foundation will hold a “Elderly’s Exercise Party” at Taishan Gymnasium on June 6th, to invite three hundred members of the elderly population to find that passion for life back once more.
“As my husband just passed away, I’d cried as I went to bed for so many nights.” Grandma Chang married over here from the Philippines when she was younger, because of the language, and the cultural barriers, plus she wasn’t really healthy, she couldn’t have children, and can only rely on her husband; a year ago, her husband died of illness, and, she’s the only one left, after the Huashan Foundation learned about her case, they’d sent people over to accompany her a lot, and, she’d started smiling once more.
Actually, when Grandma Chang was younger, she was a sprint competitor for her school, as she’d talked of how many medals she’d won in how many meets she’d competed in, light came back into her eyes, after she’d learned, that the foundation will be hosting the “Workout Forum for the Elderly” by the foundation, she’d wanted to compete.
That, just shows, that the best way to chase away your loneliness of old age is to get more involved into the community’s activities, and, by going out more, getting involved, and start interacting with this world, the elderly woman no longer felt depressed.
Don’t Be Afraid of Making New Friends as One Ages
On making friends, connecting with each other, translated…
Sometimes, I’d wondered, if as we grow older, it’d become, more difficult, to treat others with that honesty and heart? As I’d gone out, and, there were members of the younger generations conducting surveys, I’d waved my hands toward them no, fearing, that my personal information might be leaked out; when I got a phone call from someone I don’t know, I’d said, “You got the wrong number!”, and, when someone asked me how to get to a certain road, even IF that road is right up front, I’d started questioning, if the person who was asking for directions has an alternative motive. My children also warned me, to be careful for those who are strangers, and who seemed false………as I grew older, my defenses are slowly, building up, it’d become this impenetrable wall now, and, my feet didn’t dare, step outside of this wall, and, on meeting someone new, I’d become expectant, and fearing getting hurt at the same time.
I’d once taken a stroll, saw a ton of elderly grandparents taking their grandchildren out for walk, and, very shortly after the children walked a bit, their chubby little legs refused to move forward again. But, if there were kids their age, then, they’d run towards them, and started carrying on in conversation, using their limited vocabulary, then, they’d hold hands, and keep moving onward. And, if there’s a fork in the road, and they must separate from one another, some would even throw a temper tantrum, and, disregarded how they were basically strangers, just ten minutes ago. Children, children, although they’re quite young, they’d poured their hearts AND souls into socializing with one another.
The friendships and connection of the migrant workers are just as honest and down-to-earth too, they so far from home, worked hard away, and, when they’d bumped into each other on the streets, they’d stop and chat—don’t say you didn’t notice, how the caretakers of elderly at the parks, would gather together, to chit chat.
And, the hired help of my household, loved trash time. Once, she’d hauled the trash out, and, when she’d come home, she’d had an extra jar of hot sauce plus an apple. Just so happens, that that, was during the time when food safety was a huge issue, I’d asked her, if she knew what sort of oils were used in making the hot sauce? She’d frowned, not knowing what I’m inquiring. I’d asked her, jokingly, “You DARE eat an apple from a stranger? Aren’t you afraid that it might be poisoned?”, she’d smiled and replied, “Boss’s wife, I’m not Snow White.”, meaning that I’d worried too much. The newly made friends gave one another their homemade items with the tastes from home, and, in those items, the love from the hearts was found.
As my term in the community college was about to come to an end, my three classmates and I with whom I’d gotten along quite well with went out to dine, and, there’s that nostalgia of “not talking more sooner”. At first, we were simply acquaintances, we didn’t dare share too much with each other, fearing that one another might find something about us that we didn’t want them to know, but after a few small gatherings, we’d gotten to know one another better, and now, we were inseparable. But, it’s time, that we all part ways now, and, we’d feel unwilling to let each other go.
In order to keep this affinity intact, we’d decided, to meet up regularly afterwards, so we can continue this belated friendship. As we’d gotten older, we will have less and less friends, not only should we NOT fear making new friends, we must cherish every single time we meet.
This, is from the interactions of the world, and, it is, not safe, for people to just connect with someone whom one just meet, but hey, we all started as strangers to one another, didn’t we? And, if we don’t get past that stranger phase of our interactions, we will NEVER advance the relationship into friends.